"No," Nick said. "How does it get you?"
"I don't know," Ad said. "When you get it you don't know about it."
This is a trailer for the film adaptation of the stories you're reading, Hemingay's Adventures of A Young Man, released in 1962—the year your book was published, and the year after Hemingway died of a self-inflicted gunshot. The movie wasn't very successful. Fast forward to the end and you'll see Paul Newman as Ad Francis, The Battler.
Nick is a few years older from where we saw him in "Ten Indians," now riding the rails by himself in upper Michigan. And out in the middle of nowhere, he experiences...
1. Your reaction to the story? Like? Dislike? What stayed with you after reading it? Quote from it in your response.
2. "And out in the middle of nowhere, [Nick] experiences...." What does he experience—in one word. And then explain why that word.
3. I would argue that Nick, cut loose from the ties of community and family, now begins to really see the way the world works—and his unpreparedness for what's out there. Agree or disagree with that statement. Explain your answer.
4. Ad and Bugs: a love story. Yes or no? And why?
A map of the region of Michigan where these stories take place:
1. I really enjoyed the story as I have of all the others so far. I think its because of Hemingway’s ability to transport you to the place of the story and be totally immersed. What stuck with me in this story was the role of Bugs. He was very caring of Ad and kept track of him. When Bugs says, “I know how to do it. He won’t remember nothing of it. I have to do it to change him when he gets that way” (102), you get a sense that this does happen often and Bugs stops it so Ad doesn't do something he will regret.
ReplyDelete2. “Kindness” I say this because he was lost, afraid, hungry, and hurt and a kind group of men gave him a place to sit, eat and just feel comfortable after someone had taken advantage of him. In the end, one of the men turned on him but they gave him what he needed when he needed it.
3. Yes I agree because he does just seemed lost and unsure how to proceed. In the beginning of the story, he is alone and is suffering. He was taken advantage by someone because he was vulnerable. His naivety led him to fall into a place where he needed help and savior.
4. Ad and Bugs, maybe not a love story, but a deeply emotional friendship. Bugs looks after Ad and Ad gives Buds a companion. Bugs helps out maybe more that Ad so Bugs is more like a caretaker than a friend. I do believe, however, that there is a loving bond between them.
ReplyDeleteI thought that “The Battler” was an interesting story showing an older Nick outside of the confines and influence of his father, but also it made me really curious as to why all of a sudden Nick is off riding the rails. I liked it, I thought that the strange interaction with Bugs and Ad Francis was really peculiar and interesting, but what stuck out to me was the seemingly arbitrary racism when Hemingway, who had previously referred to Bugs as “Negro,” suddenly without reason used the n-word. I was really confused by it because it did not come from the characters so much, but from the narrator, which made me understand the charges that Hemingway was a racist. There is also, of course, the issue that Bugs is only referred to in the story as Bugs half the time and as “the Negro” the other half.
“Peculiarity.” I say this because Nick runs into a terrifically strange pair, an ex-prizefighter mangled beyond belief, with his mind essentially gone from so many fights, and his African American companion and caretaker, Bugs. The pair’s racial composition is really strange for American in, I’m assuming, the years leading up to the First World War. Bugs and Francis are also a strange duo in that they met in jail for violent crimes, and yet have a seeming loving relationship—with intermittent knockout punches so that Francis doesn’t hurt anyone This was just a really strange encounter with two really strange guys who don’t seem as though they would be together, but are.
I agree, simply from the first part where he gets punched out by the guy on the train. Throughout the story, though especially when he is smacked off a moving train by a sleazy brakeman, Nick seems to be not very cautious. He trusts, at first, both the brakeman and the odd duo, though both of them turn out to be pretty dangerous folks for him to simply be walking up to and making conversation with. There is an aura of naivete about Nick that I can’t decide is from youth or inexperience.
I would say Ad and Bugs is a love story of some kind or another. Bugs is obviously very devoted to Ad, and Ad just as much cares for Bugs; He is the only person that Ad won’t beat the tar out of. Bugs, for his part, keeps a man who has been beaten and betrayed to the point his mind is slipping away from falling off the edge and takes care of him. There is a powerful mutual connection, more father-son than romance, between Ad and Bugs that is absolutely a love story.
I didn’t really enjoy this story. I thought it was slow and the casual racism was impossible to ignore and I felt as though it really detracted from the story. The lines that stuck out most to me were: “He washed them carefully in the cold water, getting the dirt out from the nails. He squatted down and bathed his knee.That lousy crut of a brakeman. He would get him some day. He would know him again. That was a fine way to act.” These lines seemed important to me because they showed a harder side to Nick that I hadn’t seen from the previous stories that I read that had him in them.
ReplyDeleteWarmheartedness is the word that I would use to describe what Nick experienced because two strangers shared food and warmth with him even though they had nothing to gain.
I agree with the idea that Nick is unprepared for what the world is really like. In the beginning of the story, Nick has been beat up and it is clear that his naivete is the primary reason why this happened to him.
I think that the relationship between Ad and Bugs is more of a deep friendship than love because there wasn’t really much evidence to suggest a love connection between the two.
I enjoyed reading “The Battler”; no longer are Nick’s experiences intertwined with those of his parents, The Garners or the Native Americans. Nick has begun to make his own way; I enjoyed seeing the “independent” Nick. I was surprised by how quickly Ad’s personality transformed. Originally, he seems to be enjoying a shared memory with Nick and he welcomes him to his camp. All of a sudden though, its as if a flip goes off when he says, “Who the hell do you think you are? You’re a snotty bastard [...]” (53). Ad’s personality and the way with which he responds to others is reflective of the way Doctor Adams regards others; both seem to find issue with those “acting” superior or trying to pull the cloth over their eyes. Of course, Bugs makes it clear as to why Ad acts the way he does, but I was still surprised.
ReplyDeleteAcceptance. For the most part, Nick is accepted for who he is. Both Ad and Bug welcome him; they take him under their wings and don't expect anything in return. This seems to be the first time where Nick can just be; he doesn't have to be Dr. Adams’ intern, Prudence’s boyfriend, or Carl’s friend. Despite giving his name, he doesn't have to adhere to his typecast roll; he can just be the kid “ [...] with sand and cinders driven up under his nails” (47).
Nick has definitely been thrown into reality, but this isn't is first time; his experiences have just taken on a different dimension here. Like here, In “Indian Camp”, Nick too was on his own; without the emotional availability of his father, he had to figure out on his own some of the hardships of life. In this story, he just builds on the experiences he had as a child; he is forming his own emotional ammunition.
As far as I can tell, Ad and Bugs have a platonic relationship but nothing more. The kindness and admiration with which Bugs treats Ad seems to be purely based on his respect of Ad as a friend and not a lover. It seems to pain him when he has to “ [...] tap him across the base of the skull” (54), but according to Bugs it protects Ad; this is an act of friendship, not one of partner love.
1. I like this story; its action, gripping tension, and idyllic setting make it entertaining on a basic level. The line that struck me most forcefully is: “Bugs, crouching on long nigger legs over the fire...” The n-word and other racial overtones are obviously present in the rest of this story. However, the n-word stuck out to me here because, for someone so sparse with his adjectives, Hemingway felt the need to qualify Bug’s legs as more than long, despite the fact Bug’s race had already been made clear. It seemed like an especially unnecessary and demeaning slur.
ReplyDelete2. America. I think that his experience is a quintessential American tale, with its railroad hopping, insane boxing star, lonely wandering in the woods, and racist components. He is confronted with the hard reality of the lonely, idealized, American star (most recognizably embodied by a cowboy).
3. I agree because his childhood was overall quiet and safe. He always had his father to accompany him into the nature at the end of the previous stories. I think it is good that he is aware of his vulnerability in the world; he accepts it and decides to learn from his “kid” mistake.
4. Yes, because I think they definitely have a tenderness for each other. Bugs specifically confesses being partial to Ad, not just the money he gains from his companionship. I’m not sure if Ad is cognizant or sane enough to return this affection, though he definitely relies on Bugs. I think that a subtle sign of affection is when Ad calls Bugs “crazy” like himself. I think this remark about a fabricated commonality reveals that there is trust and friendship between the two.
^ I interpreted question 4 as talking about general love, not romantic love. I don't see their relationship as a romantic one.
ReplyDelete1. I really enjoyed this Hemingway story because I feel the longer I read, the more Hemingway’s style is growing on me. While still in a straightforward fashion, Hemingway continues to construct a simple short story that transports the audience and forces them to think. The main thing that stayed with me after reading “The Battlers” was just how descriptive Hemingway has gotten. Compared to the earlier short stories that we have read, it seems that as Nick continues to grow up, we get to learn more about his life and what is going on because Hemingway is also growing as a writer. The older Nick gets, the more descriptive and sophisticated the language is, showing growth. “He started up the track. It was well ballasted and made easy walking, sand and gravel packed between packed between the ties, solid walking. The smooth roadbed like a causeway went on ahead through the swamp. Nick walked along. He must get to somewhere.” (48)
ReplyDelete2. Unpredictable - for me, this word pretty much sums up Nick’s experience with Ad and Bugs. When he first stumbled upon Ad, he probably was not expecting for him to act as he did or for him to look that way. Then, he found out that Ad was actually Ad Francis, a famous boxer. Then Bugs steps out and introduces himself in a very formal manner, just adding an extra level of weirdness to the whole situation. This keeps on building up until the audience learns a bit about Ad’s background, how he was criticized for being in an incestuous relationship with his sister. I think that could have potentially formed a personal connection for Nick, for being somewhat judged to love who you want to love, as his relationship with Prudie obviously did not work out. As strange as these two guys who are hospitable, the whole situation seems to be rather unpredictable for Nick.
3. I qualify that statement because while he is out on his own, he is just continuing to learn about the world. There is something accurate about what lessons being in the shanty from Indian Camp teaches Nick. He learns from that that the world can be a tough place, even if his young mind has not wrapped itself around the concept of death. In this short story, this lesson repeats itself and it just adds on. Before, he typically had his father for backup, but out on his own, Nick is forced to tread lightly for he is unprepared in what to expect when he meets a strange guy in a forest.
4. I don’t find Ad and Bugs to be a love story; Ad seems to be Crazy, as he continues to call himself, and might still be stuck on loving his sister, while Bugs is just there to take care of Ads and munch off what his sister sends him. On some level, it seems twisted when you get down to the bare mechanics, but I do think that there is some love in the way that Bugs takes care of Ad and how Ad relies on Bugs. While their relationship might not be a love story, they work well together in an odd symbiotic relationship.
1. I have loved all of Hemingway's stories we have read thus far, and "The Battler" was no different. All of these stories seem to be a compilation of different key points in Nick Adam's life and it was interesting to see that this was a key part in the advancement of his character, seeing what will make an impact on him and how Nick reacts to it all. What stayed with me was how it seemed like this was "The Battler" someone who Nick knows of and was probably impressed by before meeting him. However when he meets him he sees that "The Battler"s life really isn't all that, the realization Nick has that Ad isn't all that is what stayed with me: "'He must have made a lot of money.' 'Sure. He spent all his money, though. Or they took it away from him. She sends him money."'
ReplyDelete2. Nick experiences "Hospitality." The contrast between the two environment Nick is caught up in within probably 2 hours or so is very severe and Nick seems almost surprised at how nice and hospitable Bugs is being to him despite having just met, and Nick also sees how much Bugs takes care of Ad as well without even being family.
3. I agree with that statement, you can see how taken aback Nick is simply by meeting these two characters, one taking complete care of the other who is both described as and describes himself as "crazy" and he is truly crazy Nick sees. In "The Battler" Nick sees this relationship between two men who met in jail and the surprising relationship that ensues, how hospitable they are to himself who they've just barely met, and how even the people he once looked up to are not living like one would think they are.
4. Ad and Bugs, yes, a love story. Although it's not a classic love story, or one that most people would define it as, they have a deep relationship, readers can tell they care for each other, and although sometimes one sided, Bugs takes care of Ad when he cannot take care of himself and Ad doesn't seem to get along with anyone at this point except for Bugs. They are comfortable with each other and they think each other are crazy and love each other despite, even if in a platonic love way.
I definitely enjoyed this reading. What stuck with me most was how polite Bugs was to Nick. I guess I was expecting a caricature of the angry, untrustworthy black man, but instead we got more of an uncle tom, subservient caricature. Even knocking Ads out is a selfless form of service; Bugs says "He won't remember nothing of it. I have to do it to change him when he gets that way."
ReplyDeleteI think that Nick experiences "undesirables" out there in the woods. By that I mean that Nick runs into people existing within the lowest rungs of American society. There's Ads, who at one time was an American success story (because he was a famous boxer), but upon speculation that he was a sexual deviant, immediately becomes a failure. His physical deformities also add to his outcast status. Bugs is at this bottom rung as well simply because he is black. I think that in this story Nick is exposed to people that literally exist outside of society and are outcasts.
I definitely agree with that statement. Nick shows himself to be extremely naive in this story. First, he falls for the brakeman's trick and is kicked out of the train. Then, stuck in the middle of nowhere, comes across a disfigured man who identifies as "crazy" and decides to sit and eat dinner with him. Nick seems to bad decision after bad decision.
I'm not sure that Ads and Bugs' relationship is a love story, there just doesn't seem to be enough evidence to support that. There isn't a lot of affection shown between Ads and Bugs. A counter-argument to this could be that Bugs striking Ads to calm him down is a sign of affection, however I'd argue that Bugs needs to keep Ads happy and sane in order to reap Ads' financial benefits.